OpenAI
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GPT Image 2.6 Flare API

GPT Image 2.6 Flare API: OpenAI's newest fast image model, from $0.008 per image.

Price per image85%off
1K
$0.008$0.053
2K
$0.025$0.055
4K
$0.035$0.10
Animated GIF
$0.028$0.035
Cache-write pricesAll prices
Get your API keyTry it in the playground
Model IDgpt-image-2.6-flareUpdated
generate.py
from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.zurelay.com/v1",
    api_key="YOUR_ZURELAY_KEY",
)
image = client.images.generate(
    model="gpt-image-2.6-flare",
    prompt="A red fox sitting in fresh snow at dawn, photo",
    size="1536x1024",
    quality="high",
)
print(image.data[0].url)

Base URL https://api.zurelay.com/v1. Works with any OpenAI SDK. GPT Image guide

Sizes
Up to 3840 px
Price
By size, 1K to 4K
Input
Text, Image
Output
Image
Released
Nov 4, 2026
Status
Operational

Examples

Made with GPT Image 2.6 Flare. Straight from the API.

Every image and GIF here is a single API call with the prompt underneath it, not retouched or upscaled. They're shown as compressed WebP; the API returns full-quality PNG, and each GIF opens full size as it was made.

Make your own
  • A late-night noodle stall in a narrow Taipei alley, steam rising from big pots, a red hand-lettered sign above the counter that reads "LAO CHEN NOODLES - OPEN TILL 3 AM", a cook ladling broth, wet pavement reflecting neon, 35mm film photography, photorealistic.
  • A friendly round white robot mascot with big glowing blue eyes waving hello and bobbing happily, soft 3D toy style, plain pastel mint background, seamless loop.
  • A turquoise alpine lake at sunrise with jagged snow-capped peaks reflected in still water, a small wooden rowboat tied to a weathered dock in the foreground, morning mist over the water, wide landscape photograph, ultra detailed.
  • Studio product photograph of a single white leather running sneaker with an orange sole, floating at a slight angle above a concrete block, soft shadow underneath, clean pale grey background, crisp detail on the stitching and mesh, commercial product photography.
  • Waves rolling onto a beach at sunset, pixel art, seamless loop.
  • A cheerful flat illustration poster for a neighborhood bakery: a smiling croissant character, a loaf and a cupcake, with the headline "FRESH EVERY MORNING" at the top and "Rosie's Bakery - 12 Elm Street" at the bottom, warm pastel colors, clean vector style.

Pricing

GPT Image 2.6 Flare API pricing. A fraction of the list price.

Pay as you go from prepaid credit, with no subscription. Top up from $10. Requests that fail are never billed.

RateZurelayOpenAI list
1K image
up to 1024 × 1024, any quality
$0.008$0.053
2K image
up to 2560 × 1440, any quality
$0.025$0.055
4K image
larger, to 3840 × 2160, any quality
$0.035$0.10
Animated GIF
9 frames, each up to 512 × 512
$0.028$0.035
Animated GIF
9 frames, each up to 768 × 768
$0.045$0.059
Animated GIF
9 frames, each up to 960 × 960
$0.064$0.083

Priced by size, always high quality. OpenAI's prices are what it bills by output tokens for a 1024 × 1024, a 2560 × 1440 and a 3840 × 2160 image at high quality.

Every GPT Image model and price
Savings calculator

Move the sliders to your monthly usage.

Images per month1,000
Resolution
Zurelay
$8.00
OpenAI list price
$53.00
You save every month$45.00

$540.00 a year

Cost

GPT Image 2.6 Flare API cost, worked out.

Typical workloads at Zurelay's live prices, next to the list price.

  • One image

    1 image at 1K.

    $0.008$0.053 at list

  • A product catalog

    100 images at 2K.

    $2.50$5.50 at list

  • A month of social posts

    1,000 images at 1K.

    $8.00$53.00 at list

Overview

What is GPT Image 2.6 Flare?

GPT Image 2.6 Flare is OpenAI's image model for fast iteration, released on November 4, 2026. The GPT Image 2.6 Flare API on Zurelay makes and edits images from a text prompt and up to 16 reference images, through OpenAI-compatible endpoints. Every image is made at high quality, from $0.008 at 1K to $0.035 at 4K.

GPT Image 2.6 Flare is one of two image models OpenAI released on November 4, 2026, next to GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst. OpenAI describes Flare as image generation and editing for fast iteration, and Sunburst as the one for detailed visual work. The 2.6 release follows GPT Image 2.5 by two months and keeps its prices per token. The GPT Image 2.6 Flare API on Zurelay uses the model ID gpt-image-2.6-flare and also accepts the shorter name gpt-image-2.6.

Flare takes OpenAI's standard sizes, 1024x1024, 1536x1024 and 1024x1536, and custom WIDTHxHEIGHT sizes with both edges in multiples of 16, a ratio between 1:3 and 3:1 and up to 3840 pixels on the long edge, so 2048x1152 and 3840x2160 both work. Quality can be low, medium or high, and Zurelay asks for high unless you set it. A 1024x1024 request usually comes back at 1254x1254.

Flare can write text inside images. For exact wording, quote the text in your prompt, say where it goes and what typography to use, then check spelling in the result. For cut-out assets, set background to transparent and you get a PNG with a transparent background. Edits keep the subject of your picture and can combine several reference images into one scene. New in 2.6, set output_format to gif for a looping 9-frame animated GIF.

OpenAI bills GPT Image 2.6 by tokens for text input, image input and image output, the same rates as 2.5, so its cost per image climbs with size and quality: about $0.053 for a 1024x1024 image at high quality. Zurelay makes every image at high quality and charges by the size you ask for: $0.008 up to 1024x1024 (1K), $0.025 up to 2560x1440 (2K) and $0.035 above that (4K). Send requests to POST https://api.zurelay.com/v1/images/generations in the OpenAI images format and get a URL back by default, or base64 with response_format set to b64_json.

Strengths

Where GPT Image 2.6 Flare shines. And what teams build with it.

01

Made for fast iteration

OpenAI built Flare for quick rounds of generating and editing. On Zurelay most images arrive in 20 to 60 seconds, 4K included.

02

A low price at every size

On Zurelay an image costs $0.008 up to 1024x1024 (1K), $0.025 up to 2560x1440 (2K) and $0.035 above that (4K), at any quality, and every image is made at high quality.

03

Animated GIFs

Set output_format to gif and describe the motion: a looping 9-frame GIF from $0.028, for mascots, reactions and product loops.

04

Edits that keep your picture

Change the light, the setting or the details while the subject and composition stay, or combine up to 16 reference images into one scene.

Use cases

  • Social and ad content

    Posts, thumbnails and ad variations at the pace a content calendar needs.

  • In-app image features

    Generate and edit images inside your product, where users wait on the result.

  • Posters and product graphics

    Layouts with titles, prices and captions in the picture, ready for a quick spelling check.

  • High-volume generation

    Catalog images and variation sets where $0.008 an image at 1K keeps the bill small and predictable.

Get started

Call GPT Image 2.6 Flare in three steps.

No waitlist and no new SDK. If your code already talks to OpenAI, it already talks to Zurelay.

  1. 1

    Create a key

    Sign up, add credit and create an API key. Set a monthly budget or a rate limit per key if you like.

    Get your API key
  2. 2

    Point your SDK at Zurelay

    Change the base URL. Everything else in your code stays the same.

    https://api.zurelay.com/v1
  3. 3

    Use gpt-image-2.6-flare

    Send a prompt to /v1/images/generations with a size and aspect ratio, and get back a link to your image.

    gpt-image-2.6-flare

Works with the tools you already use

Compare

Similar models. All on the same key.

85%off

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst

from $0.008 per image

Pick Sunburst for detailed visual work; OpenAI positions it for detail where Flare is for fast iteration. Same price on Zurelay.

GPT Image 2.6 Sunburst API
85%off

GPT Image 2.5 Flare

from $0.008 per image

The September 2026 Flare, if your prompts are tuned to it.

GPT Image 2.5 Flare API
11%off

Nano Banana 2.1

from $0.03 per image

Pick Nano Banana 2.1 to compare Google's image model, with fixed 1K, 2K and 4K outputs.

Nano Banana 2.1 API

FAQ

GPT Image 2.6 Flare API questions.

Anything else? Ask our team and we’ll answer by email.

How much does the GPT Image 2.6 Flare API cost per image?

Zurelay charges gpt-image-2.6-flare by the size you ask for: $0.008 up to 1024x1024 (1K), $0.025 up to 2560x1440 (2K) and $0.035 above that (4K), so 1536x1024 and 1024x1536 are 2K and 3840x2160 is 4K. Quality doesn't change the price, and images are made at high quality unless you ask for another level. OpenAI bills by tokens, and its cost for a 1024x1024 image at high quality is about $0.053, so you save 85%.

Is there a cheaper GPT Image 2.6 API than OpenAI's?

Yes. Zurelay serves GPT Image 2.6 Flare from $0.008 per image, 85% below OpenAI's cost for a 1024x1024 high-quality image. Larger sizes cost $0.025 (2K) and $0.035 (4K), against about $0.055 and $0.10 on OpenAI for a 2560x1440 and a 3840x2160 image at high quality.

How do I call the GPT Image 2.6 Flare API with the OpenAI SDK?

Create an OpenAI client with the base URL set to https://api.zurelay.com/v1 and your Zurelay API key. Call images.generate with model set to gpt-image-2.6-flare, a prompt and a size such as 1536x1024. You can also pass background and n (1 to 4). The response holds an image URL by default; set response_format to b64_json to get base64 instead.

What's new in GPT Image 2.6 compared with 2.5?

OpenAI's 2.6 release adds animated GIF output, SVG output, a complexity setting and markup-guided edits to the Images API, at the same token prices as 2.5, and OpenAI says it generates images 50% faster. On Zurelay, 2.6 makes and edits still images and makes animated GIFs; SVG, complexity and markup aren't available yet. On Zurelay, 2.6 and 2.5 cost the same at every size.

Can GPT Image 2.6 make animated GIFs?

Yes. Set output_format to gif on /v1/images/generations and describe the motion in your prompt. Each GIF has 9 frames, size sets each frame (from about 272x272 to 960x960, 512x512 by default) and frame_duration_ms sets how long each shows (200 ms by default). A GIF costs $0.028 with frames up to 512x512, $0.045 up to 768x768 and $0.064 up to 960x960. GIFs are made from a prompt alone, without reference images.

GPT Image 2.6 Flare vs Sunburst: which should I use?

OpenAI describes Flare as image generation and editing for fast iteration, and Sunburst as image generation and editing for detailed visual work. Both take the same sizes and settings, and on Zurelay both cost the same, so try your prompts on each and keep the one you like.

What sizes and quality does GPT Image 2.6 Flare support on Zurelay?

Ask for 1024x1024, 1536x1024, 1024x1536 or a custom size with both edges in multiples of 16, a ratio between 1:3 and 3:1 and up to 3840 pixels on the long edge. A 1024x1024 square usually comes back at 1254x1254. Quality can be low, medium or high, and images are made at high quality unless you ask for another level; the price is the same at every level.

Can GPT Image 2.6 Flare make transparent backgrounds?

Yes. Set background to transparent and the image comes back as a PNG with a transparent background, ready to drop into a layout.

Can I edit images or use reference images with GPT Image 2.6 Flare on Zurelay?

Yes. Call images.edit in the OpenAI SDK, which uploads your pictures to /v1/images/edits, or pass up to 16 images in images on /v1/images/generations, as https URLs or base64 data URLs. An edit costs the same as a new image of its size. Masks (inpainting) are not available, so describe the area to change in the prompt instead.

How long does Zurelay keep generated images?

Images are stored for 30 days behind the URL in the response. Download any image you want to keep before then. If you request b64_json, the image data comes back in the response itself.

Is this the same GPT Image 2.6 Flare model as OpenAI's?

Zurelay serves the gpt-image-2.6-flare model and accepts requests in the OpenAI images format. Image generation varies from run to run, so the same prompt will not return byte-identical images. Zurelay is an independent service and is not affiliated with OpenAI.

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